What About That Lions Cornerback?
October 20th, 2014
A Lovie Smith castoff is thriving
Watching cornerback Crezdon Butler make his first career NFL start last week (yes, Butler is on the Buccaneers, in case you didn’t know) and split time with rookie Brandon Dixon, really had Joe thinking about how thin the Bucs are at the position.
Throw in that Tampa Bay is apparently unhappy with Leonard Johnson at nickel cornerback of their ugly pass defense, and the Bucs really are hurting at corner.
But watching the Saints-Lions game yesterday, Joe saw former Bucs CB Danny Gorrer, waived with an injury settlement by Tampa Bay in late August, getting all kinds of action with the Lions, who have the NFC’s stingiest defense. This really annoyed Joe. How is it that Gorrer was picked up by Detroit a couple of weeks after getting booted by the Bucs and has become a regular contributor to their secondary?
Of course, nobody, including Joe, was crying when Gorrer left town. But the Bucs very much gambled with their depth at cornerback. Now Johnthan Banks has a bad neck and Mike Jenkins is out for the season, and the Bucs left the cupboard bare behind them.
Ironically, Gorrer, 28, was one of the chosen three this offseason. Lovie Smith and Jason Licht only re-signed three of the Bucs’ many unrestricted free agents after the 2013 campaign: Gorrer, Jamon Meredith and Jonathan Casillas. Meredith was cut and found a job in Indianapolis with the league’s most explosive offense, and Casillas is hurt again.
October 20th, 2014 at 9:49 am
Talent evaluation is really not a string suit for those in charge of evaluating talent on this team!
October 20th, 2014 at 9:54 am
I’m sure I wasn’t the only mad when they let him go.
October 20th, 2014 at 9:57 am
I won’t shed a tear about losing Meredith, ever. For us, he wasn’t very good after 2012. Indy is doing well, possibly in spite of him.
Gorrer was a tough nut to crack. Great guy, very much a team player and willing to talk to fans like me – but his injuries got the best of him here. I’m glad he’s found a home that he can contribute in. He’s a good kid.
October 20th, 2014 at 9:58 am
Lovie is a terrible talent evaluator. Giving him more or less full control was a mistake
October 20th, 2014 at 10:03 am
Its not Lovie’s coaching that is a concern, it is his ability to evaluate talent that is frightening going forward. If its not good, it could set the Bucs back years. One day we may all pine to have the Rock Star back, lol.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:06 am
damn, WTF.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:07 am
@Harry
I can’t ever see that happening, lol. I mean we’d have to be talking consecutive 0-16 seasons for that to happen. And if that did happen, I think shutting down the franchise might be the best thing to do. 🙂
October 20th, 2014 at 10:11 am
I thought it was a mistake from the start letting Gorrer go. Can’t keep them all, but I thought Gorrer should’ve been our nickel. We’re still only 2 games behind in the division, though 0-3 will hurt us still once we make this run.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:20 am
1st and 2nd on DB’s, maybe even a 3rd.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:21 am
All the bad that took 10 years to show up in Chicago under Lovie’s command, only took 10 months to show up in Tampa…
I hope the Glazers are realizing the awful truth that they made a horrible horrible mistake in hiring Snuffy Smith and his friends and family coaching staff. The player/talent evaluation is abysmal, like I’ve said before, Lovie wouldn’t know talent if it came up and gave him a swift kick in the balls…admit the mistake, take your lumps hire Davis, Sumlin, Helfrich, make a run at Harbaugh, but get rid of Snuffy…
October 20th, 2014 at 10:25 am
The Bucs seem to have made a living (a bad one) out of either trading (for close to nothing) or cutting decent players. Many ex-Bucs who haven’t been re-signed, been cut or traded never caught on with any other NFL team, but many others are still in the league making significant contributions to other teams.
Sure does start to look like the Bucs are woeful when it comes to player evaluations. It’s also looking like Bucs coaches are doing a poor job of player development.
Maybe that’s why we’re 32nd in the league right now in both points scored and points allowed. It takes effort to have the worst offense AND the worst defense.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:30 am
I don’t know what the odds makers are thinking!
the bucs are 3 point favorites this week.
I am not a football gambler. 3 point favorite???? that doesn’t make much sense!
October 20th, 2014 at 10:31 am
The CB position has been lacking in talent for several years now. Poor drafting, a lack of good player evaluation and no player development have taken its toll. It’s not just at the CB position but it’s a position that’s had glaring problems for years. This year looked promising with Verner, Banks and Jenkins at the top of the depth chart and the possibility of a new coaching staff coaching up the depth but it hasn’t panned out.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:40 am
Jenkins would have helped this team immensely, but it all goes back to coaching the scheme that is being run now…the bucs play a lot of cover 3 and get beat deep, that is unfathomable, and that has to go back to technique and coaching. you can’t tell me that richard sherman who is a complete cover 3 only corner is a better athlete than banks or verner? He is just smarter plays better technique and gets much better coaching
October 20th, 2014 at 10:46 am
The reason the Lions have the stingiest Defenese is beacuse it all starts up front, and they have that “nasty” we are sorely missing.
Say what you want, but our D-Line is terrible. Imagine if the Bucs and Lions swapped D-Lines, we are proably 4-2.
I am tired of watchng our guys pick up the oppnonents, instead, our D-Line should be striking the frear of the good lord in opposing QBs. All opposing QBs have to worry about is that Buccaneer is going to hug them.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:48 am
No NFL CB can cover a WR for 6 seconds. Our D-Line is invisible, and that is a major reason why we are so bad.
Mark Barron instead of Luke Keuchly hurts too. Good thing we have a new Gm, right?
October 20th, 2014 at 10:48 am
@Dusty
It also helps Sherman that the Seattle defensive players are all playing the same scheme, watch the Bucs d, looks like a bunch of middle-schoolers running around every which way, ones playing man the other zone and another is just standing there spinning in circles…
October 20th, 2014 at 11:02 am
@flmike LOL that’s so true.. The players look SO LOST out there! Leslie Frazier must be thinking “Why the F$!@ did I sign up for this sh!t!!” LOL Poor guy….
October 20th, 2014 at 11:03 am
With a decent pass rush (like the Lions have), the Danny Gorrers and Crezdon Butlers of the world will be just fine.
October 20th, 2014 at 11:09 am
@flmike 100% correct and jaguars playing same scheme and are improving by leaps and bounds…..BAD COACHING
October 20th, 2014 at 11:18 am
Being waived or traded by Lovie is akin to the Monopoly “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
October 20th, 2014 at 11:20 am
We are used as a training facility by players to remain relevant, while they are getting reps on tape, while also auditioning for spots on other teams, not Tampa. Nobody wants to give 100% for a team they see as a temporary pit stop. Can you blame them? Let’s face it, who would want to spend their entire career playing for the worst historically losingest franchise? How many Buc players usually eat pineapple each year after going double digits in losses. i.e. just recently didn’t even Lavonte David get snubbed?
If the Lions continue to do well, “Will Danny Gorrer make the Pro-bowl?” He’s got a whole lot better chance than he would have had in TB, even if we weren’t this bad.
October 20th, 2014 at 1:13 pm
Bad moves can all change next season if….they Tanketh for Jameth!
October 20th, 2014 at 1:20 pm
So now I am to believe the bucs would be 4-2 or 3-3 with danny Gorrer? Thats as funny as people thinking the bucs would be 4-2 if Glennon was the starter from the beginning.
October 20th, 2014 at 1:29 pm
Hey Joe…
What about a guard named Ted Larson? He has been starting at left guard for the Arizona Cardinals (a 5-2 team) all season and doing a fine job… Why was he let go for nothing? Are you telling me that Patrick Your Momma and O. Cousins were chosen over Larson…
Bruce Arians is a great offensive mind and Larson is his starting guard…
This regime of L and L are as clueless as the Rock Star was…
Here we go again…
October 20th, 2014 at 2:37 pm
How does one bash Dominik and then in the same breath lament the loss of Gorrer and Larsen who Dom signed off the street? Talking out both sides of your mouth.
October 20th, 2014 at 3:22 pm
The Bucs have not been able to develop depth for the last 6 years, at any position except maybe running back.
It’s obvious the talent evaluation was just terrible this offseason. It’s hard to watch guys who were cut, and played poorly here before that, going somewhere else and playing at a higher level.
The other problem with the defense, is that 1 guy is playing a different scheme from everyone else, on almost every play. The article that Joe linked to from Steve White was pretty enlightening. And frustrating.
October 20th, 2014 at 3:23 pm
@ matt b
No not really. I think Bruce Allen, Mark Dominik and so far L&L have all sucked as GM. Dominik found some diamonds in the rough no doubt but overall his teams sucked real real bad every year under his guidance.
The current management looks no better. The offensive line situation was completely mishandled this offseason. And only one free agent (A. Verner) has played well.
If they have another crap year next year I hope we move on. This is a bad unfunny joke of a franchise and it is getting harder and harder to take them serious anymore until they can win consistency.
October 20th, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Consistently.
October 20th, 2014 at 7:19 pm
Had he not been injured he would still be a Buc
Good players get hurt, released, and thrive on other teams all the time.
Part of the business.